Temporary furniture

ABSTRACT

To provide a preferable piece of temporary furniture which is less burdensome with respect to preparation, assembly and the like, and which is not subject to the problem of size mismatch between a piece of furniture and a partition. A partition-equipped bed 1, which is a piece of temporary furniture suitable for emergency use, comprises a partition and a piece of furniture which are both made of corrugated boards and are connected together. The entire partition-equipped bed 1 can be folded into a flat shape, and can be opened up from the folded state into a three-dimensional shape in the manner of a pop-up book, thus forming a partition-equipped piece of furniture that stands on the floor.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to temporary furniture including a bed, atoilet, etc., which is suitable for emergency use in a shelter or thelike in time of disaster.

BACKGROUND ART

When disaster such as an earthquake or typhoon occurs, a facility suchas a gymnasium of a school is used as a shelter. In such a shelter,partitions (enclosures) are provided to protect the privacy of evacuees,and temporary furniture for temporary use such as beds and toilets isprovided.

At a shelter or the like, corrugated board beds and the like may beprovided as temporary furniture for emergency use. Corrugated board is alightweight and low cost material, and excellent in heat insulatingperformance. Further, it is not difficult to utilize a corrugated boardto achieve sufficient strength to support the weight of a person. Thus,corrugated board is used not only for beds but also for clothes storageboxes, desks, etc. Furthermore, a partition made of a corrugated boardis often used.

Corrugated board beds and partitions suitable for emergency use aredisclosed in PTLs 1 and 2 listed below, for example. The beds andpartitions (screens) described in PTLs 1 and 2 are made of a corrugatedboard and are suitable for use in a shelter as described above, and canbe set up or folded. Thus, such beds and partitions can be stored in acompact state when there is no disaster (i.e., while not being used byevacuees).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3137572

PTL 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-18102

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

PTLs 1 and 2 disclose a bed used as a temporary furniture article and ascreen serving as a partition, which are separate articles. However, ifa furniture article and a partition are separate articles as disclosedin PTLs 1 and 2, it is troublesome to prepare them because the samenumbers of the partitions and furniture articles must be prepared. Inaddition, setting up partitions and furniture articles separately isburdensome. In addition, size mismatch problem between a furniturearticle and a partition is likely to occur. In other words, thedimensions of a furniture article such as a bed may not be proper for aspace formed by a partition such as a screen.

The present invention provides a highly preferable temporary furniturearticle which is less burdensome with respect to preparation, setup andthe like, and which can eliminate the problem of size mismatch between afurniture article and a partition.

Solution to Problem

A temporary furniture article according to the present invention is atemporary furniture article suitable for emergency use, including apartition and a furniture article each made of a corrugated board, andthe partition and the furniture article form a one-piece configuration.The entirety of the temporary furniture article is foldable into a flatshape, and the temporary furniture article is configured to form, whenunfolded from the folded state into a three-dimensional shape, apartition-equipped self-supporting furniture article configured to standon a floor.

The temporary furniture article has the following advantages.

a) Since the temporary furniture article includes the partition and thefurniture article forming a one-piece configuration, the temporaryfurniture article can be used by an evacuee or the like in a shelter orthe like, and can protect the privacy of the evacuee.

b) The temporary furniture article made of a corrugated board islightweight and can reduce cost. Further, the temporary furniturearticle exhibits excellent thermal insulation performance, and thus cankeep an evacuee warm even in winter. The temporary furniture article isalso preferable in terms of environmental protection (ecology) becausethe temporary furniture article can be recycled. Moreover, it is notdifficult to make the temporary furniture article that has a necessarystrength.

c) The temporary furniture article in a flatly folded state can bestored compactly in a facility designated as a shelter or the like, andwhen used, the temporary furniture article can be easily unfolded into athree-dimensional shape in a similar manner to a pop-up book to form apartition-equipped furniture article.

d) Since the furniture article and the partition form a one-piececonfiguration, the temporary furniture article can be easily arrangedand prepared at a facility used as a shelter or the like. Further, it isalso easy to put the temporary furniture article into a usable state intime of disaster or the like. There is no risk of size mismatch betweenthe furniture article and the partition.

It is preferable that the temporary furniture article according to theinvention includes

-   -   a plurality of flat boards each made of a corrugated board, the        plurality of flat boards being joined together by intervening        bend portions to form a one-piece configuration,    -   the plurality of flat boards includes a partition forming board        for forming the partition and a furniture article forming board        for forming the furniture article, and when the partition        forming board is in a flatly folded state (that is, in a        parallelly overlaid state) by being bent at the bend portion,        the furniture article forming board is also in a flatly folded        state and overlaid on the partition forming board by being bent        at the bend portion, and    -   when the partition forming board is in a state of forming the        partition by being unfolded, the partition stands on the floor        in a self-supporting manner and the furniture article forming        board which has been in the overlaid and flat state forms the        furniture article having the three-dimensional shape (in other        words, having the furniture article forming board in a        three-dimensionally joined state as a result of the change of        the bend angle at the bend portion).

A temporary furniture article illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 4C isconfigured as described above. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1A,partition forming boards 12 and 13 and a furniture article forming board21 are formed by a plurality of flat corrugated boards A joined togetherby intervening bend portions B to form a one-piece configuration. In thestate of FIG. 1A in which the partition forming boards are folded flat,the furniture article forming boards are also folded flat and overlaidon the partition forming boards. In the state of FIG. 3 in which thepartition forming boards are unfolded, the partition stands on a floorin a self-supporting manner and the furniture article forming boards areunfolded into a three-dimensional shape, and as a result a furniturearticle is formed.

The entirety of the temporary furniture article with such a structurecan be folded flat, and once unfolded from the folded state into athree-dimensional shape, the temporary furniture article becomes apartition-equipped furniture article that can stand on a floor in aself-supporting manner.

In the above temporary furniture article, it is preferable that

-   -   a plurality of the partition forming boards are joined together        by intervening bend portions, and    -   the furniture article forming board includes a support leg        forming board for forming a support leg of the furniture article        and a seat board forming board to be placed on the support leg        for forming a seat board of the furniture article, and each of        the support leg forming board and the seat board forming board        is joined foldably (and unfoldably into a three-dimensional        shape) to one of the plurality of partition forming boards by a        bend portion intervening therebetween.

Also in the temporary furniture article illustrated, for example, inFIGS. 2A and 2B, each of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 and aseat board forming boards 23 is foldably joined to one of the partitionforming boards by a bend portion intervening therebetween.

Furniture articles such as beds and toilets include support legs forsupporting the weight of a person and a seat board that is placed on thesupport legs and comes into contact with the body of the person. Byusing flat corrugated boards each having a bend portion to form thesupport leg forming boards for forming the support legs and the seatboard forming board for forming the seat board, as described above, andfoldably joining the support leg forming boards and the seat boardforming board, it is possible to provide the above-described preferabletemporary furniture article. In other words, the entirety of thetemporary furniture article can be folded flat and can be unfolded fromthe folded state to form a three-dimensional partition-equippedfurniture article.

It is especially preferable that

-   -   the support leg forming board is joined to one of the plurality        of partition forming boards and includes a parallel board        parallel to the partition forming board and a plurality of        connecting boards parallel to each other and connecting the        partition forming board and the parallel board, and the parallel        board and the plurality of connecting boards form a parallel        motion mechanism (specifically, a quadric crank chain forming a        parallelogram, for example, a parallel crank mechanism) (and        thus, the parallel board can be displaced while remaining in a        state parallel to the partition forming board), and    -   the seat board forming board is joined to one of the plurality        of partition forming boards in a manner that allows the seat        board forming board to angularly displace from a state of being        overlaid on a surface of the partition forming board to a state        of being perpendicular to the partition forming board.

Also in the temporary furniture article illustrated, for example, inFIGS. 2A and 2B, the support leg forming board 21 is joined so as toform, together with the partition forming board 12, a parallel motionmechanism in a plan view, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, and the seat boardforming board 23 is joined to a partition forming board 11 in anangularly displaceable manner, as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

Joining the support leg forming board and the seat board forming boardto the partition forming boards in such a manner makes it possible toachieve both of the folded state and the unfolded state, as describedabove. Specifically, 1) in a state where the partition forming boardsare folded flat, both the support leg forming board and the seat boardforming board, which are the furniture article forming boards, arefolded together with the partition forming boards and overlaid on thepartition forming boards, and 2) in a state where the partition formingboards are unfolded, the furniture article forming boards form athree-dimensional furniture article in which the seat board formingboard is placed on the unfolded support leg forming board.

As the temporary furniture article according to the invention, thefollowing bed may be provided. Specifically, provided is a bed in which

-   -   the plurality of partition forming boards include one side wall        board, a front wall board, and a rear wall board, each of the        front wall board and the rear wall board being joined to one of        opposite sides of the side wall board by a bend portion        intervening therebetween,    -   the front wall board and the rear wall board each have a surface        which is to be located on the inner side when the front wall        board and the rear wall board are in a bent state and to which        the support leg forming board is joined, and the side wall board        has a surface which is to be located on the inner side when the        side wall board is in a bent state and to which the seat board        forming board is joined, and    -   when the plurality of partition forming boards are unfolded such        that an included angle at each of the bend portions is 90        degrees (in other words, such that the boards are in an angular        U-shaped joined state in a plan view), a) unfolding the support        leg forming boards on the inner sides of the front wall board        and the rear wall board, respectively, into a three-dimensional        shape located to the side of the side wall board, and b) placing        the seat board forming board on the unfolded support leg forming        boards result in c) formation of a partition-equipped bed.

The furniture article illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 4C is apartition-equipped bed having the configuration. The partition formingboards are the side wall board 11 substantially longer than the averagehuman height, and the front wall boards 12 and rear wall boards 13located on both sides of the side wall board 11, which are joinedtogether by bend portions intervening therebetween. Further, the supportleg forming boards 21 and 22 are joined to the inner surfaces of thefront wall board 12 and the rear wall board 13, respectively, and theseat board forming board 23 is joined to the inner surface of the sidewall board 11.

The temporary furniture article (bed) can be folded flat together withthe partition forming boards, and when the partition forming boards areunfolded such that the included angle at each of the bend portions is 90degrees to form an angular U-shape in a plan view, the temporaryfurniture article can form a partition-equipped bed. In other words, asa result of unfolding the support leg forming boards and the seat boardforming board from the folded state into a three-dimensional shape, abed in which the support legs and the seat board placed thereon arearranged inside the angular U-shaped partition is formed. The process oftransforming the temporary furniture article in the flatly folded stateinto the above-described bed is illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 3.

It is more preferable that in the above-described bed

-   -   one of the partition forming boards, specifically the front wall        board or the rear wall board, is provided with a perforated line        that allows forming an opening through which legs are to be put        out, and the opening allows a tall user to lie down on the seat        board (seat board forming board) placed on the support leg        forming boards with his/her legs straighten.

It is advantageous to prepare the above-described furniture articles(beds) according to the invention mass-produced as furniture articles(beds) having the same size (for example, as beds in which the length ofthe side wall board, that is, the distance between the front wall boardand the rear wall board is 180 cm). This is because mass production offurniture articles having the same size is advantageous in terms ofcost, and it is convenient to prepare a large number of furniturearticles having the same size in terms of operation of the shelter.

However, if furniture articles having the same size are provided, anevacuee taller than the interval of the partition may have difficultieswith using the bed as it is. When the front wall board or the rear wallboard is provided with a perforated line for forming an opening, asdescribed above, such a tall person can use the perforated line to forman opening and put his/her legs out through the opening to lie downcomfortably.

It is advantageous that in the above-described bed

-   -   the plurality of partition forming boards and the furniture        article forming board in a flatly folded state are housed in a        case made of a corrugated board,    -   the case is provided with a perforated line that allows a        strip-shaped portion to be separated from the case for taking        out of the content of the case (that is, the partition forming        boards and furniture article forming board), and    -   the strip-shaped portion separated by using the perforated line        is usable as a pillow for a user by being rolled up, and the        case from which the portion has been separated is usable as a        mattress to be laid on the seat board.

A case illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C is an example formed base on such aconcept. The partition forming boards and the furniture article formingboards can be housed in the case, and the case is provided with aperforated line that allows a strip-shaped part to be separated for easeof taking out the content of the case. Once the strip-shaped part isseparated using the perforated line, the content can be easily taken outthrough an opening formed as a result of the separation. Then, theseparated strip-shaped part can be rolled up for use as a pillow for anevacuee, and the rest of the case can be used as a mattress after sizeadjustment (for example, cutting).

Using the case for housing the partition forming boards and thefurniture article forming boards makes it possible to facilitate storageof the folded bed in a facility to be used as a shelter, and increaseusability when the bed is actually used by an evacuee. In other words,the ability of being used as a pillow as described above is preferablebecause evacuees rarely bring pillows to a shelter, and the case whichcan also be used as a mattress is advantageous because the mattress canincrease the flatness in the top side of the seat board of the bed andimprove heat insulation performance.

It is also preferable that, in the temporary furniture article accordingto the invention, which is a bed,

-   -   the front wall board and the rear wall board each have the        surface which is to be located on the inner side and to which        the support leg forming board is joined, and each of the support        leg forming boards is provided with a slit extending downward        from the upper edge thereof, and    -   when the plurality of partition forming boards are unfolded such        that an included angle at each of the bend portions is 90        degrees and the support leg forming boards are unfolded on the        inner sides of the front wall board and the rear wall board,        respectively, a reinforcing board having a slit extending upward        from the lower edge thereof is attached to the support leg        forming boards by being inserted into the slits in the support        leg forming boards.

A bed configured as such a temporary furniture article is illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 9. The support leg forming boards 21 and 22 have slits 21 xand 22 x, respectively, which extend downward from the upper edges ofthe support leg forming boards 21 and 22, respectively. The slits 21 xand 22 x are used to attach reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 each madeof a corrugated board. The reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 have slits24 x, 25 x and 26 x, respectively, which extend upward from the loweredges of the reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26, respectively.

As a result of attaching the reinforcing boards to the support legforming boards, as described above, the mechanical strength of thesupport leg forming boards is increased, and thus the bed can morefirmly support the weight of a person or the like.

Regarding the above reinforcing board, it is more preferable that

-   -   one or more of the reinforcing boards are attached to the        support leg forming boards so as to extend from the support leg        forming board joined to the inner side of the front wall board        to the support leg forming board joined to the inner side of the        rear wall board.

In the example of FIGS. 8 and 9, the reinforcing board 24 is attached bybeing inserted into the slits so as to extend from the support legforming board 21 joined to the front wall board 12 to the support legforming board 22 joined to the rear wall board 13.

When one or more of the reinforcing boards are inserted so as to extendfrom the support leg forming board joined to the front wall board to thesupport leg forming board joined to the rear wall board, these supportleg forming boards are joined to each other by the reinforcing boards.As a result, the included angle at each of the bend portions in thepartition forming boards can be kept at 90 degrees (in other words, thefront wall board and the rear wall board can be fixed in parallel toeach other), and thus in a shelter or the like, the temporary furniturearticle can be prevented from being deformed or expanding its occupiedspace.

It is also preferable that, in the temporary furniture article accordingto the invention, which is a bed,

-   -   the seat board forming board to be placed on the support leg        forming boards is divided in the middle in the length direction.

In the temporary furniture article illustrated in FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11Aand 11B, the seat board forming board 23 is divided into two parts inthe length direction, by a split line 23 x at the center, and iscomposed of two front and rear seat board forming boards 23 a and 23 b.

Dividing the seat board forming board for forming a part of the bed onwhich a person lies down, as described above, has the following merits.

i) A space between the plurality of boards in the support leg formingboard can be used for storing daily necessities or the like. The seatboard forming board divided as described above makes it possible toeasily put the daily necessities or the like, in and out from the space.This is because after bedclothes such as a comforter, a blanket, etc.normally placed on the seat board forming board is moved onto one of theseat board forming boards separated from each other, the other of seatboard forming boards can be easily opened upward such that the space isopened.

ii) It is possible to increase flexibility as to the way of folding whenthe bed as a temporary furniture article is folded flat before and afteruse. When the seat board forming board is not divided, the bed as atemporary furniture article has no choice but to be folded into theshape as illustrated in FIG. 1A. However, when the seat board formingboard is divided as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the bed can also be foldedinto the shape illustrated in FIG. 11B through the states of FIGS. 10Band 11A. The ability of being folded into such a shape allows a morecompact configuration as compared to the case of FIG. 1A, and thus isadvantageous in regard to storage in a facility used as a shelter.

As the temporary furniture article according to the invention, thefollowing toilet may be provided. Specifically, provided is a toilet inwhich

-   -   the plurality of partition forming boards are four wall boards        joined together by intervening bend portions, and the wall        boards are configured to form, when an included angle of 90        degrees is formed at each of the bend portions and the outer        edges of the wall boards at both ends are connected to each        other, a partition providing surrounding on four sides (that is,        a quadrangular partition in a plan view), and    -   the support leg forming board and the seat board forming board        with an opening are joined to a surface of one of the wall        boards that is a surface to be located on the inner side of the        partition, and unfolding the support leg forming board into a        three-dimensional shape and placing the seat board forming board        on the support leg forming board result in formation of a        partition-equipped toilet.

A temporary furniture article illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 7 is apartition-equipped toilet having such a configuration. Four wall boardswhich are the partition forming boards form a partition providingsurrounding on four sides, and the support leg forming board and theseat board forming board with an opening are joined to the inner side ofthe partition. By unfolding the temporary furniture article from thefolded state into a three-dimensional shape, it is possible to form apartition-equipped toilet.

Such a temporary furniture article (toilet) can be folded flat, togetherwith the partition forming boards, and when the partition forming boardsare unfolded to form a partition providing surrounding on four sides, atoilet can be formed inside the partition. The toilet has athree-dimensional shape in which a seat board with an opening is placedon a support leg. The process of transforming the temporary furniturearticle in the flatly folded state into the above-describedpartition-equipped toilet is illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 7. A bucket or abag may be placed under the seat board of the toilet (inside the supportleg forming board), and a coagulant for excretion may be placed insidethe bucket or bag.

Effects of Invention

The temporary furniture article according to the present invention a)can be used as a furniture article for temporary living in a shelter orthe like, and can protect user's privacy, b) is easy to handle and canreduce cost, due to the use of a corrugated board, c) can be storedcompactly in a flatly folded state, and when used, can be easily andquickly transformed into a three-dimensional shape such that a user canstart using it, and d) can be easily prepared without causing sizemismatch between the furniture article and the partition, because thefurniture article is integrated with the partition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a partition-equipped bed 1 as a firstembodiment of a temporary furniture article according to the presentinvention, and illustrate, in order, a process of gradually unfoldingthe bed 1 from a folded and closed state to a three-dimensional shape.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating, in order, a process offurther unfolding the partition-equipped bed 1 of FIG. 1A from the stateof FIG. 1B to complete the three-dimensional shape.

FIG. 3 illustrates the partition-equipped bed 1 of FIG. 1A is in a statecloser to the completed state than the state of FIG. 2B.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are perspective views of a case 30 suitable forhousing the partition-equipped bed 1 of FIG. 1A in a folded state, and astrip-shaped piece 31 and the like to be separated from the case 30.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a partition-equipped toilet 41 as a secondembodiment of a temporary furniture article according to the presentinvention, and illustrate, in order, a process of gradually unfoldingthe toilet 41 from a folded and closed state to a three-dimensionalshape.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating, in order, a process offurther unfolding the partition-equipped toilet 41 of FIG. 5A from thestate of FIG. 5B to complete the three-dimensional shape.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the partition-equipped toilet41 of FIG. 5A is in a state closer to the completed state than the stateof FIG. 6B.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a partially modified exampleof the partition-equipped bed 1 of FIGS. 1A to 3. Reinforcing boards 24,25, and 26 to be incorporated into the bed 1 are also illustrated.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bed 1 of FIG. 8 to which thereinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 are attached.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views of an example in which thepartition-equipped bed 1 of FIGS. 1A to 3 is modified differently fromthe above examples. FIG. 10A illustrates a completed bed 1, and FIG. 10Billustrates a state in which the bed 1 begins to be folded.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the partition-equipped bed 1 of FIGS.10A and 10B in a state of being further folded, and FIG. 11B is a frontview of the bed 1 completely folded.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A partition-equipped bed 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 3 is a temporaryfurniture article made of a corrugated board, and is intended to beprovided in a shelter or the like in time of disaster and for use byevacuees. The entirety of the partition-equipped bed 1 is foldable suchthat it can be stored conveniently when there is no disaster, and whenused, the bed 1 can be unfolded into a three-dimensional shape. Asillustrated in FIG. 1A, the bed 1 is formed by a plurality of flatcorrugated boards A joined together by intervening bend portions B toform a one-piece configuration, and thus the bed 1 can be transformedfrom a folded state into a three-dimensional shape. The bend portion Bis an easy-to-bend portion formed as a thinly processed part of thecorrugated board or a part made of an adhesive tape or the likeconnecting the flat boards.

The bed 1 illustrated in the figures is characterized in that the bed 1includes a bed part serving as a furniture article and a partition forprotecting privacy in a shelter which form a one-piece configuration,and when unfolded from the folded state, the bed 1 can be easilytransformed into a three-dimensional shape, in a similar manner to apop-up book.

The specific structure of the bed 1 and setup procedure will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1A to 3.

The bed 1 is configured such that the entire bed 1 can be folded flat asillustrated in FIG. 1A. Since the partition and the bed form a one-piececonfiguration, the bed 1 folded as illustrated in the figure includespartition forming boards 12 and 13 for forming a partition and furniturearticle forming boards 21 and 23.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating a state in which thepartition forming boards 12 and 13 are slightly unfolded to transformthe folded bed 1 into a usable state. The furniture article formingboards 21 and 22 are attached to the inner sides of the partitionforming boards 12 and 13, respectively, and the furniture articleforming board 23 is attached to the inner side of the partition formingboards 11 located in the center.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the bed 1which has been in a folded state is further unfolded and furthertransformed toward its three-dimensional shape. Each of the furniturearticle forming boards 21 and 22 is a part for forming a support leg ofthe bed 1 and can be referred to as a support leg forming board. Each ofthe furniture article forming boards (support leg forming boards) 21 and22 is joined so as to form a so-called parallel motion mechanism in aplan view, and as a result, each of the furniture article forming boards21 and 22 can be unfolded from a flatly folded state into a quadrangularshape in a plan view as illustrated in FIG. 2A. Specifically, each ofparallel boards 21 a and 21 b parallel to the partition forming board 12is joined by two connecting boards 21 c and 21 d parallel to each other,each of which connects the partition forming board 12 with the parallelboards 21 a and 21 b. Thus, the parallel boards 21 a and 21 b can bedisplaced parallelly with respect to the partition forming board 12.Similarly, the furniture article forming board (support leg formingboard) 22 is joined to the partition forming board 13 so as to form aparallel motion mechanism.

FIG. 2B illustrates a state in which the partition forming boards 12 and13 are unfolded so as to form a right angle with respect to the centralpartition forming board 11, and the furniture article forming boards 21and 22 are unfolded into quadrangular shapes on the inner sides of thepartition forming boards 12 and 13, respectively. In this state, thefurniture article forming boards 21 and 22 may be joined and fixed tothe partition forming boards 11 with an adhesive tape or the like.

In the bed 1 in the state of FIG. 2B, the furniture article formingboard 23 joined via the bend portion B to a lower portion of the centralpartition forming board 11 is tilted inward in the direction of thearrows and placed on the furniture article forming boards 21 and 22. Asa result, the partition-equipped bed 1 is completed as illustrated inFIG. 3. This is because placing the furniture article forming board(seat board forming board) 23 for forming a seat board, on the furniturearticle forming boards 21 and 22 which are the support leg formingboards, results in formation of a rectangular bed on which a person canlie down. Under the seat board forming board 23 forming the bed, astorage space for serving as a container is created between the supportleg forming boards 21 and 22. In addition, the central partition formingboard 11 serves as a side wall board, and the front and rear partitionforming boards 12 and 13 serve as a front wall board and a rear wallboard, respectively, and as a result, a partition for privacy protectionis formed. The side wall board, the front wall board, and the rear wallboard form an angular U-shaped partition surrounding the bed. However,when the same beds 1 are arranged in the front and rear direction andthe left and right direction, private spaces are formed between thepartitions of the adjacent beds 1.

In order to keep the bed 1 in the completed state, for example, tongues(not illustrated) provided in the front and rear parts of the seat boardforming board 23 may be inserted into slits provided in the partitionforming boards (front wall board and rear wall board) 12 and 13, or aside edge of the seat board forming board 23 bent downward may beinserted into grooves provided in the upper portions of the support legforming boards 21 and 22.

It is advantageous in terms of cost reduction to mass-produce thepartition-equipped beds 1 having the same size, for example, 180 cm inlength, 80 cm in width, and 80 cm in height (height of the partition).However, even in that case, it is preferable that evacuees who are about180 cm or more in height can lie down with their legs straighten.

In consideration of this point, as illustrated in FIG. 3, it ispreferable to provide the partition forming board 13 which is the rearwall board, with a perforated line 13 a for easily forming an openingthrough which legs can be put out.

It is preferable that the bed 1 before use which is in the folded stateas illustrated in FIG. 1A is housed in a case 30 made of a corrugatedboard, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C. When the bed 1 is housedin the case 30, the folded bed 1 can be prevented from unfolding(expanding) on its own and becoming bulky.

The case 30 is provided with a perforated line 30 a that allows thehoused bed 1 to be easily taken out. It is preferable that theperforated line 30 a is formed such that a strip-shaped piece having aconstant width (about 30 cm) can be separated, as illustrated in FIGS.4A and 4B. In this case, the separated strip-shaped pieces 31 can berolled up as illustrated in FIG. 4C for use by an evacuee as a pillow.Further, it is preferable that the portion of the case 30 other than thestrip-shaped piece 31 is placed on the furniture article forming board(seat board forming board) 23 of FIG. 3 and used as a mattress.

FIGS. 5A to 7 are perspective views illustrating a partition-equippedtoilet 41 as an example of the temporary furniture article and a setupprocedure thereof.

The toilet 41 is also made of a corrugated board, and includes aplurality of the flat boards A and the intervening bend portions B, asillustrated in FIG. 5A. The entirety of the toilet 41 can be folded forstorage and, in case of emergency, the toilet 41 can be unfolded into athree-dimensional shape and used.

FIG. 5A illustrates a folded state in which a furniture article (toilet)forming board folded flat is sandwiched in between a plurality ofpartition forming boards 51, 52, etc. which are also folded flat.

FIG. 5B illustrates four partition forming boards 51 to 54 joinedtogether to form a one-piece configuration, in a state of being unfoldedby 180 degrees at the central bend portion B. Furniture article formingboards 61, 62, etc. for forming a toilet, are attached to the partitionforming boards 53, which is one of the four partitioning members 51 to54.

In FIG. 6A, the partition forming boards 51 to 54 are unfolded by 90degrees at the bend portion B between the forming boards 52 and 53, andthe furniture article forming board 61, etc. for the toilet that hasbeen folded are slightly unfolded.

As the furniture article forming boards for forming the toilet, asupport leg forming boards 61 for forming a support leg, a seat boardforming board 62 with an opening for forming a seat board, and a coverforming board 63 to cover the seat board are attached to the partitionforming board 53. Each of the seat board forming board 62 and the coverforming board 63 has an edge joined to the partition forming board 53,and can be angularly displaced from a state of being overlaid on thepartition forming board 53 to a state perpendicular to the forming board53. The support leg forming boards 61 are three flat boards joinedtogether such that the support leg forming boards 61 and the partitionforming board 53 can collectively form a box having a quadrangular crosssection. As with the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 in the exampleof FIGS. 2A and 2B, the partition forming board 53 and the three supportleg forming boards 61 form a parallel motion mechanism in a plan view.

In FIG. 6B, the support leg forming boards 61 for forming a toilet issufficiently unfolded to form a box. On the support leg forming boards61, there are the seat board forming board 62 and the cover formingboard 63 for covering the forming board 61. Further, a bottom part board64 for forming a bottom board is attached to the bottom part of each ofthe support leg forming boards 61. The bottom board is collectivelyformed by four boards. Each of the bottom part boards 64 is bendablyjoined to the lower end of a corresponding one of the flat boardsforming the support leg forming boards 61, and when the support legforming boards 61 are folded, the bottom part boards 64 are also foldedflat together with the forming boards 61. In use as a toilet, if acontainer such as a bucket is placed inside the support leg formingboards 61, it is not always necessary to provide the bottom part boards64.

The support leg forming boards 61 and the seat board forming board 62have sufficient strength to support a person sitting thereon. Forexample, a bucket or a bag is placed under the seat board forming board62, that is, inside the box-shaped support leg forming boards 61, and acoagulant for excretion is placed inside the bucket or bag.

Once the toilet part is completed, the partition forming boards 51 to 54are bent such that an included angle at each of the bend portions is 90degrees, and ends of the forming boards 51 and 54 at both ends areconnected to each other. As a result, a partition providing surroundingon four sides is formed, as illustrated in FIG. 7. By providing theconnected forming boards 51 and 54 one of which is openable with respectto the other, or an openable door part (not illustrated) in the formingboard 51 or the like, the partition-equipped toilet 41 as a temporaryfurniture article is completed. In order to prevent the toilet 41 frommoving on the floor on which the toilet 41 is placed, a weight (forexample, a PET bottle containing water) may be attached to one of thepartition forming boards 51 to 54.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a partially modified example of thepartition-equipped bed 1 of FIGS. 1A to 3. In this example, the strengthof the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 is increased, and positionaland angular fixation of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 can beachieved with a simple configuration.

Specifically, in this example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, slits 21 x and22 x are formed in some of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22. Theslits 21 x and 22 x are used to attach reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26to the support leg forming boards 21 and 22. The slits 21 x and 22 x areformed in some of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22,specifically, the parallel boards 21 a and 21 b parallel to the frontwall board 12 and parallel boards 22 a and 22 b parallel to the rearwall board 13. Each of the slits 21 x and 22 x extends from the upperedge to the middle in the height direction, in the corresponding board.The reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 are made of corrugated boardpaper, and provided with slits 24 x, 25 x, and 26 x extending from thelower edge to the middle in the height direction, respectively. Theslits 24 x, 25 x, and 26 x are formed so as to positionally correspondto the slits 21 x and 22 x of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22.

The partition forming boards 11, 12, and 13 are unfolded so as to formincluded angles of 90 degrees, and the support leg forming boards 21 and22 are also unfolded so as to form, at the corners thereof, includedangles of 90 degrees, as illustrated in FIG. 8. In this state, thereinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 are inserted into the slits 21 x and22 x of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 such that the slits 24x, 25 x, and 26 x are aligned with the slits 21 x and 22 x. As a result,the reinforcing boards 24, 25, and 26 can be attached to each of thesupport leg forming boards 21 and 22 so as to intersect the support legforming boards 21 and 22 at right angles as illustrated in FIG. 9, andthe positions of the upper edges of these boards in the height directioncan be made uniform. As a result, the strength of the support legforming boards 21 and 22 is increased, and thus it is possible toprovide a highly robust bed that can firmly support the weight of theuser or the like.

The reinforcing boards 25 and 26 may be included in advance in thesupport leg forming boards 21 and 22. However, in this case, the supportleg forming boards 21 and 22 in a folded state are thick and bulky, andthus inconvenient.

The reinforcing board 24 is inserted and attached to the support legforming boards 21 and 22 so as to extend from one of the support legforming boards 21 and 22 to the other. That is, one of the slits 24 xformed in the reinforcing board 24 is inserted at the position of theslit 21 x in the support leg forming board 21, and the other of slits 24x is inserted into the slit 22 x in the supporting leg forming board 22.The support leg forming boards 21 and 22 are merely joined to the frontwall board 12 and the rear wall board 13, respectively. Thus, unless thesupport leg forming boards 21 and 22 are bonded to the side wall board11, for example, the included angles or the positions of the support legforming boards 21 and 22 may change (for example, the support legforming boards 21 and 22 may be deformed and opened as illustrated inFIG. 2A). However, when the reinforcing board 24 is used, suchdeformation does not occur. Therefore, when the reinforcing boards 24,25, and 26 are attached to the support leg forming boards 21 and 22, thereinforcing board 24 (that is, a reinforcing board to be attached so asto extend from the one of the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 tothe other) may be first inserted, and then the reinforcing boards 25 and26 may be inserted.

Noted that, in addition to the above-described respects, there aresubtle differences between the example of FIGS. 8 and 9 and the exampleof FIGS. 1A to 3 (not explained), for example, in the heights of thepartition forming boards 11 to 13 (relationship with the dimensions ofthe seat board forming board 23) and the number of boards in the supportleg forming boards 21 and 22.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A and 11B illustrate an example in which thepartition-equipped bed 1 of FIGS. 1A to 3 is modified in anotherrespect. In this example, the seat board forming board 23 to be placedon the support leg forming boards 21 and 22 is divided into two partsalong a dividing line 23 x provided at the center in the lengthdirection. Further, a bendable portion 11 x is provided at the center ofthe partition forming board (side wall board) 11 so as to positionallycorrespond to the split line 23 x.

In this example as well, there are some differences between this exampleand the example of FIGS. 1A to 3, which are not described in detail. Forexample, in this example, width dimensions of the front wall board 12and the rear wall board 13 are slightly increased.

Dividing the seat board forming board 23 along the dividing line 23 xinto a front board 23 a and a rear board 23 b, as illustrated in FIG.10A, makes it possible to achieve easy opening and closing of storagespaces for storing daily necessities and the like formed by the supportleg forming boards 21 and 22. This is because after the comforter,blanket, etc. placed on the seat board forming board 23 is moved ontoone of the front board 23 a and the rear board 23 b, the other seatboard forming board 23 (rear board 23 b or front board 23 a) can beeasily opened upward. As a result, it becomes easy to put dailynecessities and the like, in and out from the lower storage space.

Further, the divided seat board forming board 23 and the side wall board11 with the bendable portion 11 x, as described above, allow thepartition-equipped bed 1 to be compactly folded for storage or the like.Specifically, the partition-equipped bed 1 can be easily folded throughthe states of FIGS. 10B and 11A into a compact state as illustrated inFIG. 11B. The partition-equipped bed 1 that can be folded into such acompact state saves space, and thus is preferable for storage in afacility used as a shelter.

The partition-equipped beds and toilets made of a corrugated board havebeen described above as examples of a temporary furniture article.However, the temporary furniture article according to the presentinvention is not limited thereto, and thus may be a desk, a long chair,or a container with a partition, for example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1 partition-equipped bed    -   11 to 13 partition forming board    -   21, 22 furniture article forming board (support leg forming        board)    -   23 furniture article forming board (seat board forming board)    -   24, 25, 26 reinforcing board    -   41 partition-equipped toilet    -   51 to 54 partition forming board    -   61 to 64 furniture article forming board    -   A flat board    -   B bend portion

1. A temporary furniture article suitable for emergency use, comprising:a partition and a furniture article each made of a corrugated board, thepartition and the furniture article forming a one-piece configuration,wherein the entirety of the temporary furniture article is foldable intoa flat shape, and the temporary furniture article is configured to form,when unfolded from the folded state into a three-dimensional shape, apartition-equipped self-supporting furniture article configured to standon a floor, and the temporary furniture article comprises a plurality ofpartition forming boards each made of a corrugated board, the pluralityof partition forming boards being joined together by intervening bendportions for forming the partition, a support leg forming board made ofa corrugated board for forming a support leg of the furniture article isfoldably joined to one of the plurality of partition forming boards by abend portion intervening therebetween, and the support leg forming boardincludes a parallel board parallel to the partition forming board towhich the support leg forming board is joined, and a plurality ofconnecting boards parallel to each other and connecting the partitionforming board and the parallel board, and the parallel board and theplurality of connecting boards form a parallel motion mechanism. 2-11.(canceled)
 12. The temporary furniture article according to claim 1,wherein a seat board forming board to be placed on the support leg forforming a seat board of the furniture article is joined to one of theplurality of partition forming boards each made of a corrugated board ina manner that allows the seat board forming board to angularly displacefrom a state of being overlaid on a surface of the partition formingboard to a state of being perpendicular to the partition forming board.13. The temporary furniture article according to claim 12, wherein theplurality of partition forming boards include one side wall board, afront wall board, and a rear wall board, each of the front wall boardand the rear wall board being joined to one of opposite sides of theside wall board by a bend portion intervening therebetween, the frontwall board and the rear wall board each have a surface which is to belocated on the inner side when the front wall board and the rear wallboard are in a bent state and to which the support leg forming board isjoined, and the side wall board has a surface which is to be located onthe inner side when the side wall board is in a bent state and to whichthe seat board forming board is joined, and when the plurality ofpartition forming boards are unfolded such that an included angle ateach of the bend portions is 90 degrees, unfolding the support legforming boards on the inner sides of the front wall board and the rearwall board, respectively, into a three-dimensional shape located to theside of the side wall board, and placing the seat board forming board onthe support leg forming boards result in formation of apartition-equipped bed.
 14. The temporary furniture article according toclaim 13, wherein the front wall board or the rear wall board isprovided with a perforated line that allows forming an opening throughwhich legs are to be put out, the opening allowing a tall user to liedown on the seat board placed on the support leg forming boards withhis/her legs straighten.
 15. The temporary furniture article accordingto claim 13, wherein the plurality of partition forming boards and afurniture article forming board in a flatly folded state are housed in acase made of a corrugated board, the case is provided with a perforatedline that allows a strip-shaped portion to be separated from the casefor taking out of the content of the case, and the strip-shaped portionseparated by using the perforated line is usable as a pillow for a userby being rolled up, and the case from which the portion has beenseparated is usable as a mattress to be laid on the seat board.
 16. Thetemporary furniture article according to claim 13, wherein the frontwall board and the rear wall board each have the surface which is to belocated on the inner side and to which the support leg forming board isjoined, and each of the support leg forming boards is provided with aslit extending downward from the upper edge thereof, and when theplurality of partition forming boards are unfolded such that an includedangle at each of the bend portions is 90 degrees and the support legforming boards are unfolded on the inner sides of the front wall boardand the rear wall board, respectively, a reinforcing board having a slitextending upward from the lower edge thereof is attached to the supportleg forming boards by being inserted into the slits in the support legforming boards.
 17. The temporary furniture article according to claim16, wherein one or more of the reinforcing boards are attached to thesupport leg forming boards so as to extend from the support leg formingboard joined to the inner side of the front wall board to the supportleg forming board joined to the inner side of the rear wall board. 18.The temporary furniture article according to claim 13 wherein the seatboard forming board to be placed on the support leg forming boards isdivided in the middle in the length direction.
 19. The temporaryfurniture article according to claim 12, wherein the plurality ofpartition forming boards are four wall boards joined together byintervening bend portions, and the wall boards are configured to form,when an included angle of 90 degrees is formed at each of the bendportions and the outer edges of the wall boards at both ends areconnected to each other, a partition providing surrounding on foursides, and the support leg forming board and the seat board formingboard with an opening are joined to a surface of one of the wall boardsthat is a surface to be located on the inner side of the partition, andunfolding the support leg forming board into a three-dimensional shapeand placing the seat board forming board on the support leg formingboard result in formation of a partition-equipped toilet.